


The Facts of Life

by silvertrails



Series: Quick to Anger [1]
Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-16 03:43:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11820522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silvertrails/pseuds/silvertrails
Summary: Tyelkormo tries to explain the facts of life to little Carnistir.





	The Facts of Life

**The Facts of Life  
** By CC  
March, 2007 

This is an amateur effort and does not intend to infringe on the rights of J.R.R. Tolkien. No profit is made and no harm is intended. 

The story is set in Tirion, YT 1300. 

25 Fluffy fics prompt 25: Writer’s choice - Cooking

50 Passages prompt 08: Do not touch the water! 

Thank you very much to Kei, for beta reading this story. :)

* * *

Tyelkormo sighed as he reached for the pot with the special pomade he always carried in his pack. Why couldn’t his little brother behave for once and come home unharmed? And why did it always happen when Tyelkormo was the one in charge? Nothing had happened when Makalaurë and Isilmë had taken Carnistir to Alqualondë; they had even gone boating and the brat had not fallen into the sea. Nothing had happened when Maitimo and Findekano had taken Carnistir to practice at the racetrack, either. The elf-brat had not fallen from his horse once. 

At least this time Carnistir had not cut his hand with the knives. It had actually been a nice hunting day. They had left the house as soon as Telperion’s light had been bright enough for them to see the road, taking Huan with them. Everything would have been fine if Carnistir had not tried to help with the stew. The brat had become quite skilled at hunting rabbits, but cooking was not one of his abilities. 

“Ouch!”

“Be still until I finish bandaging it.”

“But it hurts!” 

“I told you not to touch the water!” Tyelkormo snapped. “Did you hear me? No, so now bear with the pain.”

Carnistir frowned. “I was trying to help you cook! You said you would teach me.”

“What was I thinking, I wonder...?”

Carnistir scowled at him, and Tyelkormo hid a smile as he quickly finished with the bandage. Once it was done, Huan came to sit beside the brat who threw his arms around the hound. Tyelkormo shook his head and proceeded to check on the stew. It was ready, but it would be better to wait until it cooled down a bit so Carnistir could hold the bowl safely. 

“Why didn’t you roast it this time?” Carnistir asked after a while.

“Because I like stew,” Tyelkormo answered, reaching for the bowls. He had already given Huan his share, so everything in the casserole was for him and Carnistir. 

“And why did you heat the water first?” Carnistir asked, coming too close to the fire for Tyelkormo’s peace of mind. 

“Because that is better for the vegetables to cook,” Tyelkormo explained. “And the rabbit is tender, see?”

Carnistir nodded, obviously not getting it at all. Tyelkormo grinned and handed his brother a bowl. Huan came to see if he would get some more, but Carnistir waved him away. 

“Will you tell Papa I burnt my hand, Turko?” 

“He will notice,” Tyelkormo said. “Your hand is bandaged.”

“But we could tell him it was a hunting wound!”

“And have Mama skin me alive because of it? No, thank you.”

Carnistir paled a little. “Mama doesn’t need to know.”

Tyelkormo smiled to himself. It never failed to mention Nerdanel. It had been the most effective way to keep him quiet when he had been an elfling. 

“I don’t want Mama to keep me home to help with the new baby,” Carnistir said. 

“You can learn how to change diapers.” 

Carnistir made a face. “Diapers stink! Why is everyone having babies? Auntie Anairë has one too, and Aunt Eärwen.”

“Well... sometimes neri and nissi decide to beget a new baby, and then... they do it.”

“How?”

 _How?_

“Well, that is complicated to explain,” Tyelkormo started to say, wondering why his parents had not explained things to Carnistir yet. Thankfully the brat seemed more interested in his stew than in the facts of life. 

“But only nissi have children, no?”

Tyelkormo nodded.

“So when Makalaurë bonds with Isilmë, they will have elflings?”

“Probably.”

“What about Maitimo? If he bonds with Findekáno they won’t have elflings.”

Tyelkormo almost choked on his food. “What?”

“I don’t think Findekáno will have babies,” Carnistir said. “Are you alright, Turko?”

“No... Yes.” Tyelkormo set his bowl aside. “Male elves do not bond with each other, Moryo. Don’t let Papa hear you say that.”

“But Maitimo looks at Findekáno the same way Makalaurë looks at Isilmë.”

_Those two are so careless..._

“It can’t be in the same way. Isilmë is a nissi.”

Carnistir shrugged, and continued eating his stew. 

“Has Papa told you about Cuiviénen?” Tyelkormo asked carefully. 

“Yes,” Carnistir said. “The Quendi awakened and they were neri and nissi, and they knew they were to mate. But Maitimo is not mating with any nissi, so he must be mating with Findekáno.”

“No, no, Moryo, please don’t repeat that.”

“I thought you liked Findekáno.”

“Me liking Findekáno or not is hardly the problem.”

“What problem?”

Why was he having this conversation? Why couldn’t Maitimo and Findekáno be more careful? Carnistir was naturally curious, and anyone would notice when those two looked at each other. Tyelkormo sighed and decided to tackle one problem at a time. 

“Listen, Moryo, neri do not mate with each other.”

“Is it a bad thing then?”

“No, it is not a bad thing, but it is unusual. I don’t think Papa would like it, so don’t ask him about this.”

“What about Mama?”

“Mama is too busy with the baby now,” Tyelkormo said. 

“All right,” Carnistir said, not looking happy at all. Jealousy, Tyelkormo guessed. He had felt the same when Carnistir was born. 

“We will talk more about this, Moryo. I promise. Now eat, so we can go home. If you promise to behave, I will take you with me to Lord Oromë’s house the next time he invites me.”

Carnistir’s eyes lit. “Thank you, Turko! Can I have more, please?” 

Tyelkormo laughed and poured the rest of the stew into Carnistir’s bowl. He watched his little brother, wondering if one of them would ever like the forge as much as their father did. Maybe it would be Atarinkë.


End file.
